Film-forming machine



J. G. JONES.

FILM FORMING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.5.192!.

7, I Patented Dec. 5,1922.

' 2 SHEETS*SHEET 1. Fl -l'.

WITNESS BYW J. G. JONES.

FiLM FORMING MACHINE- APPLICATION FILED APRS, 1921. 1,437, 0 v Patented Dec. 5,1922.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

WITNESS INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Fatented Dec. 5, 1922. .I 'I a STATEfi PATENT .FFEQE.

JOHN Gr. JONES, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

FILM-FORMING Manama".

Application filed April. 5, 1921. Serial No. 458,755.

Toallwhom' it may concern: maintaining a pool of warm gelatine be- Beit known that I, 'JoHN G. JoNEs, tween rollers and a chilled drum, the surcitizen of the United States of America, face of the drum carrying off a layer of residing at Rochester, in the county of Mongelatine. In the drawings a large gear roe and State of New York, have invented wheel 1 is driven by a suitable source of certain new and useful Improvements in power, being affixed to a hollow shaft 2, Film-Forming Machines, of which the folwhich turns in bearings 3 (only one of lowing is a full, clear, and exact specificawhich is shown). .A drum 4 is affixed to tion. Y this shaft so as to revolve with the gear 10 This invention relates to film forming apwheel. A pipe 5 passes through the hollow paratus and more particularly to apparatus shaft 2 and communicates with-a series of for spreading a layer of heated liquid gelacoils 6, Fig. 2, through which circulates tinous material upon a chilled surface where brine or other cooling medium softhat the it will harden sufiiciently to form a coherent interior of the drum and its surface may 15 film-like sheet which can be handled and be kept at any desired temperature, Asimidried. lar outlet pipe is provided at the bearing This apparatus is of the type in which at the other end of the drum (not shown). the surface of a chill-drum is moved through Boilers 7 and 8 are of the same size, the a pool of heated liquid gelatine, causing a latter roller being in contact with drum' 4,

20 portion of the gelatine to adhere to it. The and also contacting with the first roller 7 objects of my invention areto improve such A pool of gelatine G is held as shown in mechanism so that the liquid material may Fig. 2between the rollers and drum by means be maintained at a uniform temperature of plates 9 which form dams at theends of throughout, and particularly at the ends of the rollers. As the drum and rollers move 25 the pool where it has the greatest tendency with the same surface speed, in the direction to cool, so that a layer of even thickness and indicated by arrows in Fig. 2, there is no viscosity will be formed on the drum; and scraping action, ut the pressure between further to form the pool by the use of rollers these parts causes the upper roller 7 to act between which and the drum the pool will be as a squeegee for the lower, 8, preventing 30 held, the Eonstruction being such that the any gelatine from being carried around by parts are .all readily accessible, compararoller 8, and introduced from below betively simple in design, and permit of ready tween the surfaces of the rollers and the adjustment; and further to avoid the use drum. Thus the polished surface of the of any part that will scrape the polished drum is not marred.

35 surface of the chill-drum, thus prolonging In order to rotate rollers 7 and 8 they are its useful life. mountedv upon hollow shafts 10 and 11 car- These and other objects will appear in ried by bearings 12 andv 13 in castings 14. the following description. Reference will Gear 15 of shaft 10 meshes with gear 16 now be made to the accompanying drawings,- of shaft 11, the latter being rotated by a 4.0 in which the same reference characters refer sprocket 17 driven by a chain 18 which to the same'parts throughout: passes over a sprocket 19. A stub shaft 20 Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the principal carries both this sprocket" wheel 19 and anparts of a machine constructed'in accordance other 21, the latter being driven by a chain with and illustrating one form of my inven- 22 passing around wheel 23 fastened to shaft as tion; v 24;, which is driven by a gear 25 which Fig. 2 is a section through a portion of meshes with the large gear 1. a the same machine; When it is necessary to clean drum 4,

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the machine rolls 7 and 8 with their associated mechashown in Fig. 1, omitting the driving mechnism can be moved from the drum by means so anism; of pinions 26 meshing with the gear seg- Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view, partly in ments 27 affixed to castings 14:. one being section, of the bearings for the rollers, and provided at each end. as shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a View, half in elevation and half Pinions 26 are keyed to a shaft 28 operated in section, of one end of the rollers and dam. by a rod 29 (Fig. 1) insertable into aper- This machine forms a sheet of gelatine by tures 30 of a block 81, which is grooved at Ilia.

. A bolt 42 adjusted by 32 so as to serve also as a ratchet in which a pawl 83 may drop, to holdthe parts at the desired elevation. Pawl 33 is pivoted at 34 to the frame 35.

The rollers may be heated to keep the pool of gelatine flowable, though this is not essential. To this end they are mounted on hollow shafts 10 and 11,-through which a heated fluid, such as hot water or steam, may be introduced by pipes 3.6, there being outlet pipes 37 at the opposite ends. The surface 39 of the rollers is preferably'of rubber, as this forms a resilient. surface which maintains close contact between roller 8 and the polished metal drum 4 without injury to the surface of the latter; and likewise the close contact between rollers 7 and 8 forms a liquid tight vwall and squeegee. To adjust the tension between rollers 7 and. 8,1 make bearings 12 movable by providing bearing blocks 40 slidable in ways 41 in castings 14. nut 43 adjusts shaft 10 to and from shaft 11. Ordinarily onl v very slight adjustment is necessary, and suc lars 48 which small movement does not affect the meshing of gears 15 and 16 which may be of. comparatively loose fit, as the drive is always in one direction. 'However, should more than the usual adjustments be necessary, substitute gears may be used, it being necessary then to adjust the reducing and driving sprockets so that the surface speed of the rollers will be the same as that ofthe drum.

End plates ordams 9 close the ends of the pool or trough and prevent the'gelatine G from flowing out from the ends of the pool. These dams are carried by yokes 45 which slide along shaft 46, as best shown in Fig.

2. To keep them tight against the roller ends (Fig. 5) springs 47 press against colin turn exert thrusts against dams 9; longitudinal of shafts 10 and 11 toward rollers 7 and 8. Collars 49 are threaded to these shafts and keyed in the desired position by pins 50. In Fig. 5 I have shown one roller in elevation and the other in section, the yoke 45 having been removed.

The inner edge of the dams 9, or that edge which rests against drum 4, is faced with soft, non-abrasive contacting strips 52, so. that the polished drum is not injured thereby. I find a heavy felt most suitable, although rubber is also satisfactory. As a film is not formed onthe drum at these points, the scraping action does no harm.

The gelatine pool must be of substantially the same temperature throu bout, the gelatine being fed into the poo at a constant temperature through pipe 53, the rate of flow being regulated by hand valve 54. The rollers are heated as hereinbefore described, and the dams 9 are also heated, so that only the gelatine lyingnext to drum 4 will be chilled, and this 111 an even laver. Dams 9 rollers. All of these Leas es are hollow, see Fig. 2, as shown in dashed lines, so that a temperature controlling fluid such as hot water or steam can be introduced through pipe and can pass out through pipe 56.

While the operation of the machine is clear from the above description, it will be briefly recapitulated. Liquid gelatine from a suitable tank or other source (not shown) is supplied at a constant elevated temperature through the supply pipe 53, the flow being controlled by any regulating means such as'valve 54, so as to maintain the level of the pool reasonably constant. A trough is formed between the rollers and the chilldrum, and the dams are of such length that the top of the pool of gelatine can rise to the top of the upper roller, but as long as there is any gelatine left between the lower roller and the drum the machine operates satisfactorily. Considerable variation in the depth of the pool does notseem to affect materially the amount of film formed. The eflective trough is that formed between the lower roll and the drum. The surface of'the slowly revolving chill-drum 4 moves upward, carrying with it a thin layer of gelatine. I do not find it necessary to use any mechanical means to regulate the thickness of this layer, as under reasonably constant conditions the amount adhering is of a sufiiciently constant thickness. The gelatine supply is maintained at such a temperature that the pool of gelatine will be kept in a suficiently fluid condition, despite" the chilling influence of the drum; and normally it is not necessary to heat the rolls 7 and 8. But the ends of the pool would be chilled more than is desirable without additional heat and I find the heated dams to be highly desirable in maintaining the heat at the ends of the pool, and thus insuring the spreading of the layer .of gelatine evenly throughout its width. The upward movement of the resilient-surface of'roll 8 at the same rate as surface 4 does not subject the surface of the drum to a scraping action, and since the gelatine is sufliciently cooled by the time it has been carried partially'around the drum to be drawn therefrom in a self-supporting sheet, without the use of ascraper that contactsthe drum, the serviceable life of the polished surface of the drum is long. The squeegee roll 7 presses so tightly against the roll 8 that no gelatine is carried around by roll 8 and rubbed between it and the surface of drum 4. "While-the surfaces of rolls 7 and 8 are preferably of rubber, other materials may be used, and roll 7 in particular ma be of a more rigid and durable materia reliance being placed'on the resilience of roller 8 for intimate contact between the parts are readily accessiblefor repair, adjustment or cleaning as has been pointed out.

l comprising a movable member having a form a coherent'film, layer or sheet.'

I contemplate as within the scope of my invention all, such modifications and mechanical equivalents as fall within the terms of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Apparatus of the character described film receiving surface, a roller in contact with said surface, a squeegee member in contactwith saidjfirst roller, the space between the roller'and the film receiving surface constituting a trough for a film-forming liquid, and means whereby the film receiving surface may be moved past said trough, whereby a film-like layer will be formed thereon the contact between the roller andth'e surface being such as to prevent the passage of material from the trough. I I

2. Apparatus of the character described comprising a movable member having a film receiving, surface, a rotatable roller with a resilient surface-in contact with said first named surface, a squeegee member in contact with said roller, the space between the first named roller and the film receiving surface constituting a trough for a film-' forming liquid, means to adjust the roller with respect to the movable member, and

a means whereby the film receiving surface may be noyed past said trough, whereby a film-like layer will be formed thereon the contact between the roller and the surface being'such as to prevent the passage of material from the trough.

3. Apparatus of the character described comprising a movable member having a film receiving surface, a rotatable roller with a resilient surface in contact with said first named surface, a squeegee member in contact with said first roller, the space between the first named roller and the member constituting a trough for a film-forming liquid, the roller and squeegee member being mounted on a common support, whereby they may be together moved away from the movable member, and means whereby the film receiving member may bemo-ved past said trough, "whereby a film-like, layer will be formed thereon, the contact between the roller and the surface being such as to prevent the passage of material from the trough. 4: Apparatus of the character described comprisinga movable member having a film receiving surfacepa rotatable roller with a.

resilientsurface .in contact with said first named surface, a squeegee member in contact with said first roller, the space between the roller and the member constituting a trough for a film-forming liquid, the roller and squeegee member being mounted on a common pivoted support, whereby they may be together swung-away from the movable 'member and means whereby the film receiving member may be moved past said trough, whereby a film-like layer will be formed thereon the contact between the roller and the surface being such as to prevent the passage of material from the trough.

5. Apparatus of the character described comprising a movable drum with a film receiving surface, a rotatable roller with aresilient surface in contact with said first named surface, a second roller with a resilient surface in contact with the first,

the two rollers bein relatively adjustable,

' surface and formin therewith a-trough for afilm-forming liqu1d,.and heated dams closing the ends of said trough,

7. Apparatus of the character described comprising a movable member having a film receiving surface, means for controlllng the temperature of said surface, a. member contactlng said surface and forming therewith a trough for a-film-forming liquid, and dams closing the ends of said troughs, and means for controlling the temperature of said dams.

8. Apparatus of the character described comprising a movable member having a film receiving surface, means for chilling said surface, a member contacting said surface and forming therewith a trough for a filmforming liquid, and heated dams closing the ends of said troughs.

9. Apparatus of the character described comprising a movable member having a film receiving surface, means for chilling said surface, a member contacting said surfacev and forming therewith a trough for a film-,

forming liquid, and dams closing the ends of said trough, said dams being provided with a circulating system, through which a temperature regulating fluid may be circulated. I

10. Apparatus of the character described comprising a rotatable drum, means for chilling the surface of said drum, a rotatable roller contacting said drum and forming therewith atrough for a film-forming liquid, and heated dams closing the ends of said trough.

'11. Apparatus of the character described comprising a rotatable drum, means for chilling the surface of said drum,a rotatable roller contacting said drum and forming therewith a-trough for a film-forming liquid, dams closing the endsof said trough. and provided with passages through which a temperature regulating fluid-may be circulated, and means for rotating said drum whereby its surface may be moved upwardly past said trough.

12. Apparatus of the character described comprising a movable member with. a film. receiving surface, a rotatable roller contacting said drum and forming therewith a trough for a film-forming liquid, heated dams closing the ends of said trough, means for squeegeeing the surface of the roller to prevent the removal thereon of liquid from the trough, and means whereby the film re-. ceiving surface may be moved upwardly through said trough.

13. Apparatus of the character described comprising a movable member with a film receiving surface, a rotatable roller with a resilient surface contacting said drum and forming therewith a trough for a film-forming liquid, a second rotatable roller contacting said firstroller to prevent the removal menses thereon of liquid from the trough, dams closing the ends of the trough and provided with passages for the circulation of temperature controlling fluid, and means whereby the film receiving surface may be moved upwardly through said trough.

14-. Apparatus of the character described comprising a rotatable chill-drum, a rotatable rubber covered roller in contact with the chill-drum a second rubber covered roller 'in contact with said first roller, the space between the rollers and the surface of the drum constituting a trough for liquid heated gelatine, heated dams closing the ends of the trough so formed, the rollers and drum being so connected that the contacting surface of the drum and the first roller will move upwardly at the same speed, and the contacting surfaces of the two rollers will move in the same direction at the same speed, therollers being mounted adjustably with respect to each other and with respect to the drum.

i Signed at Rochester, New York, this 31st day of March 1921.

JOHN Gr. JONES. 

